On Wednesday, 107 migrants in distress trying to reach England by sea were rescued by French means, according to a report from the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea (Prémar). “The day was intense but apparently without casualties,” a Prémar spokesperson told AFP.
Due to favorable weather conditions, “numerous departures of migrant boats” were observed on Wednesday, Christmas Day, on the coast of northern France, from Dieppe (Seine-Maritime) to Leffrinckoucke near Dunkirk (North) , according to the Prémar.
Some supported on UK side
Throughout the day, 12 assistance and rescue operations were coordinated by the regional operational surveillance and rescue center (Cross) Gris-Nez. Thirty occupants of a boat off the Dunkirk sector were first rescued early in the day.
The other occupants who wished to remain on board were “taken care of by British resources once they arrived in British waters”, according to Prémar.
Still off the coast of Dunkirk, another migrant boat was later reported to be in difficulty due to “engine damage”. Its 51 occupants were recovered. Finally, 26 people were rescued aboard a boat in difficulty reported near Calais.
The Channel is “a particularly dangerous sector, particularly in the middle of winter for precarious and overloaded boats”, recalls Prémar.
At least 73 candidates for exile have died while attempting the sea crossing to reach England since the start of the year, according to the Pas-de-Calais prefecture. This makes 2024 the deadliest year since the appearance of the “small boat” phenomenon in the Channel in 2018.
